


A Stroll Down Memory Lane

by Etched_in_Fire



Series: Star Fox: Fate's Decree [13]
Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Gen, mentioning of Krystal, post Anglar Blitz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 04:30:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1373965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etched_in_Fire/pseuds/Etched_in_Fire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>12 ALW - Fox pays an old friend a visit at the Cornerian Hospital.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Stroll Down Memory Lane

**Author's Note:**

> Updated 1/8/18 to better fit with the rest of Fate's Decree.

            Change was something he had never familiarized himself with. When he had left the Flight Academy to reform the Star Fox team, he had found himself jarred and confused. Lost, even. Everything had been set, orderly, and neat until that day he had met Peppy in the diner. Everything had been perfect. Perfect career path. Perfect girlfriend. Perfect friends. The Lylat Wars had happened in a flash. He was not sure he could recall all of the events in detail, or even in chronological order. But he saw brief images in his mind’s eye. Stopping the train on Macbeth, finding Corneria City in ruins, saving Bill’s hide on Katina—pictures. Like from a history museum.

            _Was that really me?_ He thought as he pulled his hoverbike into the parking lot. Stiffly, he swung his leg over the seat and unclasped his helmet, eyeing the massive, rectangular building with a set of pensive emerald eyes. _I feel like a completely different person._ The Sauria Incident had changed him. The Apariod Invasion had changed him. And everything after seemed like a bad memory.

            _Krystal…_ Some deity was smiling down on him. That was the only reason he could think of. _I don’t deserve to have her back, not after how I treated her._ The relationship was still rocky—a year apart had changed things. Her joining Star Wolf had changed things, though, luckily enough the newly-established General Peppy had enough sway to erase whatever bad record Krystal had.

            They were living together now—he and Krystal. It had been cheaper that way. Their apartment was quiet and near the edge of town, in sight of the Cornerian forests. Something about the green and vegetation seemed to draw the vixen in. He supposed it had something to do with the home she had never told him about. There were so many mysteries to her, and Fox knew he could not hope to unravel all of them. But every now and then, he would catch a glance in her turquoise eyes, as though she were in deep thought. Her lip would curl into a frown and she would stare holes through the empty air. Thinking, or so he presumed. But other than that, she seemed fine. Her time away from him had contributed to her stubbornness, which was both a good and a bad thing in his opinion. She seemed freer, and that made him happy.

            He kept his helmet under his arm as he approached the automatic glass doors, a spray of cold air hitting his face as he entered the building. It was a terribly _white_ facility with clean walls, surfaces, and chairs. Even the front desk was spotless, with a bubbly looking porcupine lady running it. Her dark eyes lit up when she saw him, a smile stretching her entire face.

            “Good afternoon, sir, how may I help you?”

            “I’m here to see General—” He had to stop himself. _He’s not the General anymore, is he?_   But it seemed so wrong to call him anything else, “Er... I'm here to see Cornelius Pepper.”

            “Ah, just sign in on this sheet of paper,” she gestured to a clipboard on the desk and handed him a neat little black pen. “He’s in room 202A. Had lots of visitors this week.”

            That made Fox smile a bit as he scribbled down his name, hoping his signature was messy enough so that she could not decipher it. “That’s good to hear. He’s an old friend of mine.” He placed the clipboard back onto the surface, gave the lady a small courteous nod, and clicked the pen shut.

            “Let me know if you need anything else, Mr. McCloud,” the porcupine said, a mysterious glint in her eyes as she took the pen back. Fox fought back a blush, and nodded a little dumbly before taking his leave down the hall.

            The corridors were a labyrinth of white, glass, and doors with small windows. 202A was lost among the hallway’s many branches, but once Fox found himself there, he sighed with relief. He gave the door a knock before he entered, his heart racing and his mind struggling to keep up. _He’s the same guy as before. Just… a bit different._ “A bit different” was a stretch, he knew. After his momentary take over by the Aparoids, Pepper’s mind had been left scarred and incomplete. He was far from insane, Fox knew. But he was slowly slipping in his old age, and the damage done to his brain had only helped the aging process. There were a lot of fancy medical terms for what was happening. Fox could not remember them all; he just knew his father’s friend was terribly sick and his mind showed no signs of recovery.

            “General?” he did not even try to correct himself this time. The room was far from empty, with a bookshelf, a flatscreen television, and bed with plain, sky-blue sheets and a white fluffy pillow. Cornelius Pepper, former General of Corneria, occupied the bed, with a book in hand, peering over a set of spectacles. _His eyes look so tired._

            The old hound dog blinked a few times before setting aside the leather bound novel, straightening his posture. “Fox McCloud,” his voice was a rumble, his yowls flapping about as he spoke. His dark eyes studied Fox for a moment, calculating and thoughtful before the familiar warmth returned to his voice, “Come here, son, it’s good to see you.”

            Fox felt his shoulders relax and he pulled up a chair next to the former General’s bedside, “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, General.” _I should have…_ He swept his gaze over the hound’s frail body. _He looks so… unlike himself._ It sent a stab of fear into his heart and a shiver down his spine.

            “That’s quite all right, m’boy,” Cornelius Pepper gave a small wheezing chuckle, “You’ve been busy, I hear, what with helping our new acting General out.”

            “The Anglar threat was suppressed almost without trouble. I can’t say it was easy, but a lot of good came out of it in the end,” Fox replied with a scratch behind his left ear. "The team's back together again.  We've even got a new member on board.  Amanda Rana-- Slippy's fiancee!"

            “Is… is that so?” Pepper raised his brows.  "So even Slippy's settling down... heh!" Past his aged wrinkles and the shadows of something unseen tormenting his fragmented mind, the hound gave a smile.

            “Yeah,” Fox gave a firm nod. "They're getting married soon."

            Pepper rubbed at one of his eyes, “I remember when I tried to get you to make that team in the first place. You were stubborn as could be. Still are.” His chuckles sounded clearer this time, and Fox was relieved, “I’m glad you did quit the Academy, Fox. It pains me to say it, but you were never meant for the Cornerian Defense Force. You’ve got too much of your father in you.”

            “You’re right,” Fox agreed with a small dip of his head, “Picking up where Dad left off was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  But you know... I have enough cash after the Blitz to go into retirement for awhile.” He gave a small pause, a jovial smile crawling across his maw. “Retirement at age 29. Sounds crazy, right?”

            “Sounds like a fitting reward for someone who’s saved the Lylat System on numerous occasions,” Pepper chortled, “You’ve earned it, Fox.  But I can understand wanting to continue.  You're young still.  For an old hound like me, nothing sounds better than retirement, a nice book, and warm coffee."

            “Heh, doesn't sound too bad to me either," Fox replied, “Oh, before I forget.  Krystal and I are back together.  I... Understand you kept in touch with her after she left the team."

            “Krystal?  Oh, yes, I did for a brief spell.  Back together eh?  Well, I hope you two _stay_ together. I can’t remember what your little scuffle was about, but it seemed pointless to me,” the hound sniffed, “Everyone in the Lylat System knows you two belong together.”

            Fox’s ears went back, “Yeah… I’m going to plead temporary insanity for booting her off the team.” He chuckled, but it reeked with bitterness. “But everything’s going great. Peppy’s loving his new job-- er... or so I think. I know it wasn’t easy trying to convince the rest of the Cornerian Council to put him on the job, but I think it was a good call. He’s always had the planet’s best interest at heart.”

            “Peppy’s a good fellow. And so are you,” Pepper responded, setting his book aside on a bedside table. “Some of them wanted _you_ as general, you know."

            Fox felt his fur stand on end, his stomach churning. "Oh... Yeah, I heard about that.  I still don't know why they'd want to do that.  Do you?" 

            “Why don’t you tell _me_ , Hero of the Lylat System?” Pepper laughed, “But I know you, Fox. And that’s why I protested the notion to the best of my ability. You’re not the type to bind yourself with ah… such responsibilities.” He gave a cough, “Besides, the seat is comfortable but the stress isn’t.  It ages you.”

            “Yeah, it’s even greying poor Peppy’s face,” Fox smirked, “But thanks. After the past year and a half…” He thought of Krystal and how he had upset her. He thought of how empty the Great Fox II had felt when everyone had left. He thought of how alone he had felt when the Anglar Blitz had begun. "We're going to be taking it easy, I think.  Picking up jobs here and there when we can and getting our newest member trained. "

            “Well, sometimes you just need that,” Pepper nodded, fumbling with his reading glasses and eventually taking them off. “Sometimes, I tell James that he should have done more to convince me to join his team.”

            _What?_

            The sentence was jarring and Fox’s brow furrowed at the old hound as he continued, “He always says that having four pilots is better than three. 'Everyone has a buddy when they go alone', he says. I know he’s right, but I can’t let the fool know that I know.” Pepper gave a hearty laugh. “I guess that’s why he recruited that wolf, even though the poor lad grew up on a mostly deserted planet.”

            “What do you mean… you talked to my dad?” Fox asked the hound, head tilted to the side. “General Pepper, he’s been dead for years.”

            There was confusion in the dog’s eyes. For a moment, he seemed like a puppy, as though his chew toy had been taken away. But it was a fleeting second, and the hound shook his head, “Oh... Oh, right. What was I thinking…”

            _He’d seemed so normal until that,_ Fox thought, feeling his heart sink into the depths of his stomach. _I’d almost forgotten why he was here. It was just like old times…_ The vulpine looked away in an attempt to hide his glistening emerald eyes, “Uh… w-well, I did bring you something. Hope the doctors don’t mind you having it.”

            “Oh?” Cornelius Pepper asked, brows raised.

            Fox dug into his leather jacket, fumbling about the inner chest pocket. “Here,” he said, producing a cherry lollipop between his thumb and forefinger. “You used to eat these all the time when I was a kid. You’d even let me have some if I was good.” The memory put a smile on Fox’s face—a stupid, nostalgic one he could not wipe away.

            “You were never good, what are you talking about… Always trying to fly your dad’s Arwing and always sticking your nose into trouble,” Pepper huffed, but took the candy anyways, “You grew up to be a good fellow… Have I said that already?” He blinked. “Ah well, as soon as my leg is mended, I’ll be out of this hospital in a jiffy and back at HQ, where I belong.”

            _And there he goes again. Does he even know he’ll be here for the rest of his life?  Or just for a weekly visit if he's lucky?_ The thought put tears back in Fox’s eyes, but he tried his best to conceal his distraught state. “R-right.” He couldn’t bring himself to correct the poor hound. “Everyone misses you, General.”

            “Hah, not as much as I miss them. I need out of this bed, Fox. I feel like an old man.”      

            “You’re not old,” Fox replied trying to suppress the waves of emotion flowing through him, “You’re just… hurt, is all. Everyone gets hurt.”

            “Well, no wound has kept Cornelius Pepper down, and no wound ever will,” the old hound sucked on the lollipop thoughtfully, “You know, James, you should really look into doing that mercenary group idea. I think I’ve even come up with a name for it. You should call it Star Fox.”

            Fox flinched visibly. “I… I’ll… I’ll think about it. H-hey, I’ve got to head home now. G-gotta get dinner started. I’ll be back by here next w-week, okay, General Pepper?” He was crumbling on the spot, and the hound merely blinked at him, still toying with the candy in his mouth.

            “You look awfully sick, James. Maybe you should go back home, lay down some and eat some soup,” the old hound said thoughtfully.  "Tell Vixy to make some of that chowder!"

            The rest was a blur. He heard himself say goodbye to the hound, and a moment later, he was staring at the “sign out” clipboard, numbly grabbing at the pen the porcupine lady was holding out for him. Fingers trembling, he jerkily scribbled something down. He supposed it was his name, though it looked more like a foreign language the more he stared at it.

            “Are you okay, Mr. McCloud?” the porcupine lady asked him, concern in her voice.

            “Y-yes,” he said quietly. “I think I’ll be okay.”

            “He’s very different, isn’t he?” the secretary said sadly, “One moment, he’s his old self. The moment after, he’s locked in the past. Sometimes, he asks to see James. Ha… I say “sometimes”. He asks every day. Someone found him a few days back, sobbing his heart out. He kept saying, “It’s my fault, it’s my fault”. Over and over again. We were worried about him so we had to sedate him. He had started to go volatile on one of our doctors. Something about him looking like a fellow he didn’t like… a fellow named Pigma? Does that ring any bells to you?”

            Fox felt his blood run cold. _After all of these years, have you blamed yourself for what happened to Dad?_ There was a lump in his throat, so thick that it prevented him from uttering a word. He managed a simple bob of the head, and tore his gaze away. _He sent Dad on that mission. But that doesn’t mean he knew what had been planned out. He couldn’t have known._ “I’ll be back next week,” Fox said stiffly to the nurse before finding his way outside, letting the bright rays of Lylat stroke his troubled face.

            _Next week… maybe the doctors will have figured something out by then._

            But something about that thought seemed far too optimistic.


End file.
